STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS : Sharks Swarm on Goal to Defeat Maple Leafs

The San Jose Sharks are the team that came into the playoffs with the worst record among the field’s 16 teams, a team that had not been in a playoff game until about two weeks ago.

The Sharks suddenly find themselves the NHL’s darlings, thanks to the kind of teamwork that showed on their game-winning goal Monday in a 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs in the Western Conference semifinal series opener at Toronto.

Johan Garpenlov’s goal with 2:16 to play gave the Sharks the victory, and all five San Jose skaters touched the puck on the play. Toronto’s Bill Berg had lost his stick as the Sharks swarmed toward goaltender Felix Potvin. Igor Larionov set Garpenlov up for a relay into an open side of the net.

“I had no chance to shoot because there was a defenseman in front of me,” Larionov said. “I looked over and saw Johan and passed the puck to him.”

“The other guys did a good job getting the puck to me,” Garpenlov said. “I had an open net and couldn’t miss.”

That was the problem, said Toronto Coach Pat Burns, who was upset Garpenlov was so open. Burns’ six defensemen have been an important part of the team’s success but they slipped several times Monday night.

“The Big Six weren’t the big six tonight, that’s for sure,” Burns said.

Igor Larionov and Pat Falloon also scored for the Sharks, who twice trailed. Wendel Clark and Mark Osborne scored for the Leafs.

The Maple Leafs wasted a chance to take a 2-0 lead when they failed to get off a shot during a two-minute, 23-second power play that included 97 seconds with a two-man advantage.

“If you’re looking for a turning point, that might have been it,” said Shark Coach Kevin Constantine. “We were really lucky to escape that situation.”

Vancouver 6, Dallas 4--Martin Gelinas scored off a faceoff with 4:39 to play and the Canucks held on for the victory over the Stars at Dallas.

Nathan Lafayette won the faceoff and passed the puck directly onto the stick of Gelinas. Gelinas sent a 25-foot slap shot past goaltender Darcy Wakaluk’s stick side for the game-winning goal after the Stars had rallied from a three-goal deficit to tie it, 4-4.

Trevor Linden scored for the Canucks with 16 seconds to play after Dallas had pulled its goalie.

The Canucks built a 4-1 lead, but Dallas scored two late goals in the second period and tied it at 16:03 in the third on a rebound shot by Mike McPhee.

Pavel Bure’s short wrist shot shot after a perfect drop pass by Trevor Linden and defenseman’s Jyrki Lumme’s power-play goal put the Canucks up by three goals.

Dallas came back on a power-play goal by Richard Matvichuk and McPhee’s first playoff goal when he rebounded his own shot.

The Stars and Canucks, meeting in the playoffs for the first time, will play in the second game of the best-of-seven series on Wednesday night at Reunion Arena.